A flash of rainbow light streaked through the universe before fading, returning all to calm and silence. Even Renso's golden flame suddenly extinguished, reverting to his normal state.
Frost vanished from the universe, leaving nothing behind.
Inside the psychic barrier, only Raditz and Renso remained suspended in empty space. The moon beneath their feet had been reduced to debris in the battle.
"I finally defeated Frost." Renso wiped sweat from his face, speaking with relief.
"He should have died long ago. It's a miracle that man survived until now." Raditz spoke indifferently. "If the assassin Hit hadn't saved him back then, Planet Kiria would have been his burial ground."
Just as Renso was about to respond, Raditz's expression changed abruptly.
"Wait. I sense someone's ki. What a coincidence!"
"Who?" Renso tensed.
Raditz felt his hairs stand on end as killing intent surged into his awareness, making his scalp tingle. At Raditz's current level, very few beings could give him this feeling. In Universe Six, aside from deities, there was only one—Hit, whom he'd just mentioned.
Speak of Hit, and Hit arrives.
The legendary assassin was nearby and approaching. Was he targeting them? Raditz went on high alert, his expression becoming deadly serious.
CRACK! With a sharp sound, his psychic barrier was being impacted by a burst of energy—and breaking. The force penetrated Raditz's mental wall like a drill, transmitting oppressive pressure through space directly to his nerves.
Here he comes. Hit was forcing his way through Raditz's barrier! And he'd already broken through more than halfway!
Combat in the vacuum of space wasn't his forte. Raditz immediately used Instant Transmission to relocate himself and Renso to a nearby uninhabited planet. Before he could catch his breath, that presence approached like a shadow—impossibly fast.
"Renso, be careful!" Raditz forcibly positioned himself in front of Renso, reading the atmosphere around them.
Suddenly, many identical ki signatures appeared across the entire planet. The opponent seemed to understand that Raditz used energy sensing to judge strength and position, deliberately creating numerous ki clones.
Renso let out a sharp breath, golden flames erupting from his body in jet-like bursts. He too felt his scalp tingling, surrounded by a terrifying, oppressive atmosphere. It forced him to adopt his strongest state just to barely resist. He didn't intend to fight—maintaining the transformation simply made him feel slightly better.
"Raditz, is this Hit?"
"That's right. He seems to be observing us now." Raditz sensed the multiple ki clones, but the other party appeared to have no intention of attacking—merely observing from concealment.
Raditz deployed the ki avatar technique he'd learned on Planet Metamor, transforming into ten phantoms with residual energy, facing all directions.
"Hit! Remember me!" Raditz shouted.
The sound thundered across the entire landscape, spreading in all directions. This planet was filled with mountains, rocks, and sand—extremely arid. Layers of sound waves stirred up sandstorms that howled and flew.
"There doesn't seem to be any response..." Renso looked around but saw no movement.
"No, he's here." Raditz smiled slightly.
Because Raditz noticed Hit's ki clones beginning to decrease—he was about to reveal himself.
Ten seconds later, a figure slowly walked toward Raditz and Renso through the yellow sand and smoke. Wind blew at the corners of his coat, but his collar remained firm as cast iron, utterly motionless.
Hit was entirely purple-skinned with a bald head and round face, his eyes calm yet sharp. He wore a long coat with his hands in his pockets, walking at a measured pace.
Vegito, Piccolo, and the others could be considered stylish, but compared to Hit, they paled in comparison. This man's appearance and mannerisms were the very model of overwhelming presence.
Raditz thought to himself: You moved so fast breaking through my psychic barrier just now—can't you walk a bit faster?
But Hit maintained his straight, unhurried pace.
"I remember you. On Planet Kiria. Your long hair is quite distinctive." Hit finally spoke, stopping less than ten meters from Raditz.
Raditz knew Hit was a quiet, steady individual who only spoke when he wished to converse. Yet counting their last meeting, Hit had already exchanged considerable dialogue with him. Clearly, in Hit's eyes, Raditz was someone worthy of conversation.
"Thank you for the compliment."
"I'm not here to praise you. Where's Frost?" His tone was cold and hard, like iron plates striking together.
"He's dead. Sorry—you can't save him this time."
"I see. That simplifies matters." Hit's tone remained flat, seemingly unmoved. "I was here to kill him."
With that, Hit produced a device resembling a signal tracker, gently squeezed it in his hand, and crushed it. Raditz was momentarily startled, then roughly deduced the truth.
Frost's spacecraft belonged to the Universal Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber had clearly hired Hit to silence him, providing the signal tracker. Frost was truly wretched—every faction wanted him dead. Even if he hadn't died by Renso's hand earlier, Hit would have eliminated him.
Whether due to secret information Frost possessed or the Chamber's intolerance for betrayal, Raditz wasn't certain. He simply admired the Chamber's swift, decisive action within mere hours.
Hit glanced lightly at Raditz and Renso, then turned to leave.
"Wait! Hit, fight me!" Raditz stopped him.
"Hm?" Hit paused, turning his head halfway. After a moment he spoke. "You're not my opponent."
When breaking through Raditz's psychic barrier earlier, Hit had roughly estimated his strength. Though very powerful, he still wasn't Hit's match.
"How do you know without fighting? The me from a few years ago is vastly different from the me now!" Raditz didn't elaborate further—instead, his aura erupted directly. The energy contained within his body radiated outward, forming jet-like streams.
Black-haired Raditz in Mystic State, stars shining in his pupils. At this moment, Renso's aura was completely suppressed, his golden flame appearing to dim significantly.
"Oh..." Hit's stopped steps began moving again, slowly turning to face Raditz head-on. Hit could feel the terrifying pressure—completely different from moments before.
Also a world of difference from when they'd last met.
Had Raditz grown this much in just a few years? Initially, Hit had thought Raditz was a promising opponent, but he hadn't expected him to appear so soon with even greater strength.
To be honest, Hit felt slightly excited.
He appeared young, but possessed a lifespan of over a thousand years. Proficient in time and space manipulation with methods to delay aging, the longer he lived, the calmer his heart became. He wasn't easily moved to happiness or anger—life had grown somewhat tedious. To rarely encounter someone who excited him left Hit feeling satisfied.
"What's your name?"
"Raditz."
"I accept your challenge."